#Contemporary Art

My art practice is like a constantly evolving self-help course where I am as much the therapist as the client. The intent of this body of work was to expose myself to such extreme levels of sugar and junk food that I would no longer want to eat it again...

The overall aim is to investigate the histories and narratives of other people's images, dealing with the broader themes of loss, memory and mass cultural experiences. For me, this was a fascinating premise, and provided much food for thought.

Art costs wherever you go, yes, but a box costing £40 (CZK1,370) here in Prague at the State Opera House to watch Madame Butterfly compared to a ticket which costs roughly four times as much at Covent Garden's opera citadel here in London, has one asking the question: why the disparity in price?

The country may be small, but its art is ambitious, grand, uncompromising - Latvia is home to a thriving contemporary art scene, a closely knit community promoted by events such as Riga's annual Survival Kit festival and the Riga2014 European Capital of Culture programme.

Larraz encourages his observers to decode the art that stands before their eyes, believing it is the artist whom should be "revealing that which reality conceals". In fulfilling this responsibility, Larraz experiments with styles to create works that are incredibly postmodern.

Barry Martin, a Goldsmiths graduate with artworks in the Tate collection, and Samir Ceric, the director of the Debut Contemporary art gallery in Notting Hill, decided to join forces to highlight an issue that unfortunately is still quite relevant in a society in the 21st Century

Since 2010 the Contemporary art market has skyrocketed - seeing Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips de Pury achieving top prices and world records for numerous contemporary artists. The market remains bullish for high-quality contemporary works.

I've always been passionate about art - particularly drawing and later about raw creativity, outsider art etc.. After working 12 years as an embroidery designer I had a real burning desire to see where my own art would take me.

The Affordable Art Fair opens its doors once again in leafy Hampstead June 12th to 15th this week. 113 galleries exhibit a range of contemporary art within the 'affordable' bracket, showcasing their wares and artists, established names, emerging names, paintings, photographs, sculpture and original prints between £40 and £4,000.

Just as Ayn Rand's Roark subversively demolishes the Corlandt building after promises are broken and his designs changed, these artists are undermining a society that no longer functions for the benefit of the common people. Their art not only brings home the reality of today's surveillance state, but asks, do we have to live this this?

I've been working all the daylight hours on a family commission, a dinner table portrait, for a dining room, people happily eating, being together around a table. It's been a pleasure to work on so far, there are several people in it and one dog.

Each year curator Justin Hammond travels the length and breadth of the UK visiting art schools and colleges and attending their degree shows. Through his observations, along with recommendations from tutors and those in the art world, his task is to choose 40 of those he considers to be the most promising young talent for inclusion in the annual Catlin Guide.

I've been a bit flighty the last few years, but I'm naturally quite earthy. I guess I just have to balance the fact I'm really a traveller, who got a bit sidetracked for too long, with somewhere to oil paint, cook, dig and bathe. I dread to think how much of my life I've spent in a depressed stupor.

I imagine driving somewhere in a van, France, Italy, the sense of freedom makes me happy, I stop off at a beauty parlour in some small town and get my nails painted pale pink, my hair extra blonded, I feel good. I by chance get invited out to dinner by some vague male apparition, I go out of curiosity, this is like tripping, I try to see what he looks like, Dennis Weaver in McCloud, crikey.

I'd fallen into a little pit of minor despair, (a big black hole, couldn't move), all energy had gone and I was feeling a bit hopeless, thank goodness a quick trip to the Smoke revived me. I walked lots, covered quite a few miles, squashed lots of errands into a few hours, it was nice to be back 'home' in the city with my boy, all be it briefly.

For many people these days a 'masters' is the automatic next step after a three-year undergraduate degree. It deepens the knowledge gained during a first course of study and, in theory, sets you up with everything you need to know for working life after higher education.

When I have finished a painting, I find it hard to summon up the confidence to start on another, I can fall into a bit of a pit, so if there are already roughed in works, it's like I'm not really stopping. I'll probably do a different kind of work soon, I'll probably be in a different place. Though these works, feel like my main work, I keep coming back to them.

I've been making paintings on hand-made paper for a few years now, I love the feel and look of them, not for the faint-hearted, a few crinkles can scare a canvas traditionalist off, I'm dead proud of them. One collector in LA said his framer had never seen anything like them, which I think is a bit of a compliment...

Azerbaijan is not alone. In fact it's little wonder that a country like Qatar is also putting more and more focus in this area. For a place, which has an abundance of sand, sun and oil, but not much else, it makes sense to be making such an effort to build up its cultural sector

There comes a stage in life when clip frames and old art posters just don't cut it anymore. You yearn for something different in your living space, art that doesn't bear the hallmarks of former student living or décor on the cheap. But you don't have a lot of money and, assuming you're not after a landscape painting to match the curtains, you don't know where to start.

Take a look at a selection of photos from the private view below.
The show is running until 24 January 2014 so don't miss the opportunity to come and enjoy Lauren's unique style and endless creative diversity.